


No Worries

by Deepsea_princess



Category: To All the Boys I've Loved Before Series - Jenny Han, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:15:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23717302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deepsea_princess/pseuds/Deepsea_princess
Summary: Lara Jean has always been a worrier. She worries about her relationship, what other people think of her, her future, pretty much everything. And then there’s Peter. Calm, cool, collected Peter Kavinsky. Lara Jean envies the fact that he never seems anxious about anything, always confident and perfectly sure of himself. Still, Lara Jean feels the need to protect him from the worry that she feels on a daily basis.Or: Lara Jean is sick and downplays how she’s really feeling to spare Peter the worry.
Relationships: Peter Kavinsky/Lara Jean Song-Covey
Comments: 8
Kudos: 113





	No Worries

**Author's Note:**

> This is purely self-indulgent! I was craving a Covinsky sickfic, and this just kind of happened. My first time publishing a story I’ve written, so go easy on me! I apologize in advance for any mistakes; I didn't have anyone proofread this besides myself before posting.

Peter Kavinsky was not a worrier. In fact, he was arguably the most confident guy in the whole school. Nothing seemed to phase him—not getting tackled on the lacrosse field, not rumors, not failing grades or his girlfriend talking to other guys. He was, to put it simply, a pretty relaxed guy. He was naturally inclined to trust others and believe that things would work out the way they were supposed to. So when his girlfriend of almost a year, Lara Jean, texted him one Tuesday night, telling him she and her little sister, Kitty, wouldn’t be needing a ride the following morning, he thought nothing of it. He wished her a good night and told her he loved her, no questions asked.

Some thought his trusting nature was a disadvantage and left him open to deception, but he thought it was nice that he was able to see the good in every situation and every person. Conversely, Lara Jean worried about everything. She was a naturally anxious person, something Peter had helped her tremendously in overcoming. Still, however, Peter was sure to never over exaggerate around her, playing down troubling situations to spare her fretting unnecessarily. She had enough on her plate as it was.

Secure in the knowledge that his girlfriend was able to get to school the next morning, he went to sleep, excited to sleep in an extra fifteen minutes. Recently, he’d been so busy with lacrosse and school and hanging out with Lara Jean that he scarcely had to sleep, and it was beginning to show. Just a few days ago, he fell asleep in first period, only waking when Lara Jean gently shook his shoulder and handed him the rest of her coffee. As much as he loved his girlfriend, he welcomed the extra sleep he would get in her absence.

The next morning, when he woke up (twenty minutes later than he usually did), there was no good morning text from Lara Jean, even though she was an early riser and he had slept in late. They usually made a point to text each other every morning in order to, as Peter put it, “Start the day off on a good note.” Given that Lara Jean was a morning person and Peter was decidedly not, her daily texts encouraged him to get out of bed and start his day. Assuming she was simply busy and forgot, Peter texted his girlfriend before he got ready for school quickly, kissing his mom goodbye and dropping his little brother Owen off at the middle school before pulling into the high school parking lot.

Still no word from Lara Jean. Strange, Peter thought. It felt wrong walking into school without his girlfriend by his side. Even though they just saw each other the day before, he missed her presence. She simultaneously made him feel alive and aroused, while still being a calming, comforting constant in his life. He couldn’t imagine going back to life without her. He sent her a quick text, asking her to meet him by his locker before first period, and joined his lacrosse buddies in their usual shenanigans before classes began, dodging questions about where LJ was when he realized he wasn’t even sure. He hadn’t thought to ask her yesterday, merely accepting that she would get to school without him. Just as he was about to excuse himself to go find Lara Jean, his phone buzzed in his back pocket, and he pulled it out to a text from his girlfriend.

Lara Jean: Sorry, babe, it’ll have to wait until tomorrow. I have a cold and Daddy is making me stay home (Be lucky you don’t have a doctor for a dad! It’s impossible to get away with anything!) Love and miss you! Daddy will pick up Kitty from school, so you don’t need to worry about it.

Peter ran a hand through his hair, sighing. If he were Lara Jean, he probably would have been concocting the worst possible situation, as was her specialty, but Peter trusted that Lara Jean would tell him if something were truly wrong. If she told him she was okay, then she was okay. After all, Dr. Covey was notorious for being overprotective of his daughters. Returning to his friends, he participated in some conversation or another about a topic he didn’t really care about, wishing he was with Lara Jean, possibly sneaking away to make out before first period as they usually did.

As the day went on, Lara Jean had barely texted him at all, which wasn’t like her in the slightest. Usually, they spent the majority of their time apart talking to one another. While others may have found this annoying, Peter loved how Lara Jean missed him when she wasn’t with him. She was constantly reminding him of how much she loved and appreciated him, making small but meaningful gestures such as dressing up for his games even though he knew it made her self-conscious, baking him sweets, going to parties she didn’t want to be at, and more. In return, he always tried to make her know that she was his everything, the number one in his life and the only girl he wanted to be with. Therefore, the lack of communication throughout the day bothered Peter more than he liked to admit. He was laid-back and easy-going, sure, but he also liked knowing what his girlfriend was up to.

Deciding he wanted to hear her voice, Peter called her as school let out, before lacrosse practice was set to begin. It rang a few times, and Peter was almost certain she wouldn’t pick up when Lara Jean answered the phone with a sleepy-sounding, “Hey.” Peter’s heart melted. Hearing her voice made him miss her even more than he already did, if that were possible.

“Hey, beautiful. How are you?” He asked, sitting down on a bench while waiting for his teammates to finish changing into their practice gear.

Lara Jean let out a string of light coughs, clearing her throat. “I’m good, just tired is all. Daddy was overreacting—I’m perfectly fine.”

Peter released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Lara Jean was okay—he had nothing to worry about. They chatted for a few more minutes before Lara Jean let out a huge yawn, making Peter laugh.

“Go get some rest, sleepyhead. I love you. Tomorrow morning at 7?” He asked, a smile on his face.

Lara Jean was silent for a few moments before she answered. “Um, well, I don’t think I’ll need one tomorrow either. Daddy says I should probably stay home another day, just in case,” she mumbled, not liking causing her boyfriend unnecessary worry.

Peter furrowed his eyebrows in concern. “But I thought you said you were fine,” he mused.

Lara Jean was quick to reassure him. “I am! Perfectly okay. Just a cold. It’s only a precaution, to make sure I’m good to go to your game on Friday. I promise.”

Peter bit his lip. “If you’re sure, babe. What about little Covey?”

“My dad can drop her off; he took off work tomorrow. Thanks for offering, Peter. I love you,” Lara Jean said, hanging up.

Peter sat for a minute, ignoring his coach’s shouts to join them on the field. Why would Lara Jean’s dad take off work if she only had a small cold? Something wasn’t sitting right about this whole situation, but Peter tried to put it out of his mind. Worrying was Lara Jean’s thing, not his. Getting up, he jogged to the field as the team began running laps as a warm up. Gabe ran up next to him, putting his hand on his shoulder.

“How’s Largie?” He asked, noting Peter’s expression. Gabe was perhaps the closest to Lara Jean of all his friends, and had been concerned when Peter told him earlier about Lara Jean being sick. Peter forced a smile.

“She’s good, man. Says her dad’s just overreacting—you know, what with him being a doctor and all.” Even as he said it, he wondered if it were true.

Gabe patted him in the back, nodding, before a grin took over his face. “Race you!” He shouted, taking off at lightning speed. Peter was the fastest on the team, but if anyone could beat him, it was Gabe. Peter swore, racing to catch up. “You bastard! I’ll get you!”

Both boys were laughing, pushing past freshmen in an attempt to outrun each other before their coach blew a whistle, a smile on his face after seeing his top players’ antics.

“That’s enough, Kavinsky and Rivera! Let’s get to work!”

***

“Mom, I’m home!” Peter called out, grabbing a water bottle out of the fridge and greedily draining it, sinking into the couch with an exhausted sigh. Lacrosse always made him so damn tired. Mrs. Kavinsky appeared, coming down the stairs with a surprised look on her face.

“So soon? No plans with Lara Jean?” She wondered. Her son was almost never home this early. She was lucky if she saw him at all during the week. Peter only shook his head, running a hand through his hair and rolling out his tight shoulders from the rigorous practice.

“She’s got a cold. Her dad’s overreacting and won’t let her leave the house,” Peter explained. His mom hummed in acknowledgment.

“Well, he is a doctor; I’m sure he knows what he’s talking about,” she mused, smiling at her son. “Have you spoken to her?” She asked, getting out the ingredients to start dinner.

“A little. She seemed tired, so I don’t want to disturb her.”

His mom scoffed. Peter turned to her, surprised. “What?” He asked.

Mrs. Kavinsky smirked, looking away. She knew how dense Peter could be at times when it came to women.

“What?” Peter demanded, trying to get her attention.

“Oh, nothing. Why don’t you go take a shower, you’re all sweaty,” his mom teased.

Peter only put his hands on his hips. “Mom,” he whined. Mrs. Kavinsky turned to him finally.

“It’s just, Peter, that girl dotes over you, would do anything for you. She’s always asking how you are, rubbing your back and shoulders when you’re sore from practice, surprising you when you’re upset. And you can’t even find the time to talk to her when she’s not feeling well? I’ll bet she’s missing you.”

It was as if his mom punched him in the gut. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly, not answering his mom and instead making his way up the stairs to call Lara Jean. Mrs. Kavinsky smiled, hoping he took her advice.

“Hey, LJ,” Peter flirted when Lara Jean picked up the phone. He could heat Sixteen Candles in the background—her favorite comfort movie. She only watched it when she was feeling down. It only solidified in his mind that he made the right decision in calling her. She definitely needed some cheering up. Luckily, Peter was just the man for the job.

“Hey, stranger,” she replied, her voice significantly more nasally than the last time they spoke. He could hear her pausing the movie. “Are you afraid of catching my germs over the phone?” She teased, confirming his mom’s suspicions that she noticed he hadn’t spoken to her much. She missed him, and it hurt Peter to know that he caused her any kind of pain.

“Of course not, no, I’m sorry, LJ.” She giggled, fighting to keep it from turning into coughs so as not to worry Peter.

“It’s okay, Peter, I’m sure you were busy. You’ve been stretching yourself thin, babe. I understand if you got caught up in school and practice. I’ll be here when you have time.”

Peter’s heart was so full of love for his girl. He wished he could wrap her in his arms and kiss her, showing her just exactly how much he appreciated her. He was silent for a moment, just basking in his admiration of his girlfriend when he heard Dr. Covey in the background, saying something to Lara Jean.

“I’ve gotta go, Peter. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Get some rest, I know you’ve been tired lately—not getting enough sleep can lead to a weakened immune system, and you don’t want to get sick and miss out on lacrosse.”

Even when she was sick and tired, she was still worrying about him. He could not fathom how he became so lucky. If Gen had ever heard that Peter wasn’t feeling well, she made sure to distance herself for at least a week, never wanting to risk catching whatever he had. It was nice to know that Lara Jean cared enough about him to pay attention to his well being. Telling her he loved her, Peter jumped in the shower, contemplating how he could make Lara Jean feel as special as she made him feel.

***

Another day had passed without seeing Lara Jean, but this time he heeded his mother’s advice in periodically texting her to check up on her throughout the day. Each time, she insisted it was only a cold and that she was fine, but Peter was not so sure anymore. He suspected she was trying to downplay how she felt to make him less concerned, but it only served to make him feel worse. She shouldn’t feel like she needed to protect his feelings—he could handle it. She was the one who needed reassurance, not him. When had the roles been reversed?

He had never felt this way before, like there was a pit in his stomach that he couldn't quite get rid of. He craved to know Lara Jean was truly okay, so much so that he texted Kitty, asking how Lara Jean was doing. He knew it was underhanded and a long shot, but Kitty was the most honest person he knew. She would tell him the truth.

Kitty: Lara Jean wants you to know that she’s fine, and you could have just asked her yourself.

Peter smiled. He chose to believe the youngest Covey sister, and walked around much lighter knowing that Lara Jean was indeed fine.

Thursday night, Lara Jean texted as Peter was eating dinner, which had him pulling out his phone at the table, earning him a glare from his mom. Dinner was the one time they could be together as a family, and therefore phones were not allowed. However, Peter threw caution to the wind in favor of seeing what his girlfriend had to say. He hoped she would tell him she was going to school tomorrow; it had already been two days and he had a lacrosse match tomorrow he wanted her to be there for.

Lara Jean: I’m really sorry, Peter, you know I want to support you at your game tomorrow, but Daddy still has me on house arrest. He is such a worrier! I’m fine, except that I miss you and feel so so guilty that I can’t be there for you. You’ve got this, babe; know that I’ll be rooting for you from my prison! Love you.

Peter’s face fell, immediately catching the attention of his mom and Owen. He tried to mask it with a relaxed smile, but the damage had been done.

“Peter? Is everything okay?” His mom asked as she and Owen shared a concerned look. Peter nodded slowly.

“Yeah, it’s just, Lara Jean’s dad won’t let her come to my game tomorrow. I don’t play well when she’s not there.” He mumbled, feeling silly. He should be able to play just as well even if his girlfriend wasn’t there cheering him on. However, he was almost positive that knowing she was at home, sick in bed instead of wearing his jersey and shouting from the sidelines, was surely going to throw off his game.

Just then, a thought popped into his mind. “Hey, Mom?” Peter asked, biting his lip.

She looked up at him. He looked nervous, which was definitely not like him. “Yes, honey?”

“Do you think maybe you could talk to Dr. Covey, see if he’ll let Lara Jean come? It would mean a lot.”

Mrs. Kavinsky looked apprehensive. It wasn’t her place to tell a parent, one who’s a doctor, no less, how to handle his sick child. She opened her mouth, worry evident in her eyes.

“Peter, I don’t know if—“

“Please, Mom?” He pleaded. Peter never begged. Mrs. Kavinsky sighed. Her son made it so hard to say no to him.

“Okay. But I’m not promising anything.” Peter smiled wide, hugging her and promising to help with the dishes as a thank you.

“It’s too late now to call; I’ll do it in the morning. Until then, I believe you promised me dishes.” She smiled, effectively hiding her unease about this whole situation.

***

The next day went by painfully slow, with Peter waiting for his mom to tell him what Dr. Covey said and Lara Jean not answering him, presumably still sleeping. When his phone rang, he answered it almost immediately, glad he was at lunch and not in class.

“Mom? What did he say?” Peter asked, eager to hear her answer. His mom sighed. Peter’s heart dropped. That didn’t sound too promising.

“Well...” Mrs. Kavinsky started, “After speaking with Dan, I’m not sure I want Lara Jean coming to the game tonight, either.” Peter’s jaw dropped open.

“What do you mean?” He demanded, hurt that his mother had taken Lara Jean’s dad’s side over his. He felt betrayed.

Mrs. Kavinsky struggled to think up a proper response, remembering her conversation with Lara Jean’s father.

_“Hello, Dan? This is Molly Kavinsky.”_

_“Hello, Molly! To what do I owe the pleasure?”_

_“Well,” she started, “I’m calling on Peter’s behalf.”_

_“Oh boy,” Dan laughed, a deep, rumbling sound. “What ever could this be about?”_

_“Peter wanted me to ask you to please reconsider letting Lara Jean go to his game tonight. He seems to think he needs her there to play well.”_

_The line was silent for a few moments while Dan processed her words. Mrs. Kavinsky felt the need to say something to ease the tension._

_“He knows she has a cold, but its not supposed to be too cold outside tonight, and I think she should be fine,” Mrs. Kavinsky added. Dan cleared his throat._

_“Molly, I appreciate how much your son loves my daughter, I do, but I don’t think he has the right information.”_

_“What do you mean?” She wondered._

_“Lara Jean doesn’t just have a cold—I’m not that overprotective that I would keep her home for three days for a head cold. She has a high fever and an ear infection, and I really don’t think she would feel up to going out in the cold to watch lacrosse even if I allowed her to go, not that she would ever admit that. She hasn’t been able to get up off the couch in days. She can’t sleep because her ears are pounding and she’s exhausted. I’m sorry, but she’s in no condition to leave the house.”_

_Mrs. Kavinsky was silent. Peter had led her to believe Lara Jean’s dad was just overreacting. She should have known better. Dan was a doctor, after all. Now she felt humiliated and embarrassed._

_“I’m so sorry, I had no idea. Peter led me to believe it was just a minor cold and you were reluctant to let her go anywhere.”_

_“It’s perfectly okay. I’m sure Lara Jean didn’t want to worry him—she once sprained her ankle and limped on it for a whole day before telling me! Have a nice day, Molly, and tell Peter he can come over to visit if he misses Lara Jean. I won’t be home—I couldn’t get off work again tonight—and I’m sure Lara Jean would appreciate it if he stopped by.”_

_“Will do, Dan. Thank you so much, and I’m truly sorry for suggesting you don’t know what’s best for your daughter.”_

_“You did no such thing. Talk to you later, Molly.”_

Deciding to spare her son the details so that he wouldn’t spend the rest of his day—and more importantly, his lacrosse game—worrying, she simply told her son, “Maybe you should just go visit Lara Jean after the game, instead. Dan says she’s lonely and missing you.”

Peter started to protest, but his mom stopped him. “Peter, this decision is final. Go see her or don’t go see her, but she’s not coming to the game. Owen and I will be there later to cheer you on in her place. I love you.”

Peter growled in frustration, going back to sit with his friends and sulking. Somehow, Gen had found her way into Lara Jean’s spot. She was decked out in his old jersey that he had given her years ago, his number painted on her face just like Lara Jean usually did. Great, Peter thought. Just what he needed when he was already in a bad mood.

“Gen, what are you doing?” He asked tiredly. He wasn’t in the mood for her games today.

“Since Lara Jean couldn’t be here, I thought I’d cheer for you instead.”

Peter looked to his friends for help, but they were all purposefully looking anywhere but at the two of them. Gearing up to give Gen a speech about how she needed to respect their boundaries, his phone started ringing, Lara Jean’s name popping up.

“Lara Jean!” He said pointedly, making sure Gen knew who was on the phone, which caused her to skulk away angrily. “How are you feeling, baby?” He asked, quieter this time now that Gen was gone.

He heard her sniffle before she answered. “Just missing you. Wishing I could leave the house. Are you ready for your game?” She asked, quickly shifting the conversation back to him.

He fell for her bait as he always did, telling her about the opposing team, and steering clear of the topic of Gen. He considered asking her if she wanted him to stop by when he was done with his game, but he refrained. If she couldn’t be with him tonight, he figured he would surprise her instead.

“Peter?” she asked, snapping him back into reality. He cleared his throat, shaking his head to clear it of his daydreams.

“Yeah, I’m here, sorry. What did you say?”

“I just said that it’s killing me not seeing you,” he heard her voice crack with emotion, almost as if she were going to cry. Peter ran a hand over his face to keep his own emotions in check.

“I know, LJ. I miss you, too.”

He made up his mind. He was going to surprise his girl tonight to make up for her terrible week, no matter how tired he was after the lacrosse game. He texted his mom, asking her to make her homemade chicken soup for Lara Jean, receiving an “Of course!” with a winky face in return. Peter cracked a smile. His mom was such a romantic. Little did Peter know, Mrs. Kavinsky knew how sick Lara Jean was, and she was more than happy to do something to help the poor girl feel better.

***

To put it plainly, the game was awful. Not only did it start raining ten minutes in, freezing drops that soaked Peter and would have frozen him to the bone if he were not playing and moving around, but the team lost by a landslide. Peter was almost glad Lara Jean couldn’t come. His mom and Owen retreated to the car halfway through, and he couldn’t blame them. He would have left too if he had the chance.

Nevertheless, he was excited to see Lara Jean. It was as if the piece of his heart that had been missing without her would finally be back where it belonged. He rushed home from the game, begging off the multiple parties he was invited to, and showered quickly to get rid of the mud he was covered in, all the while thinking of how happy Lara Jean was going to be when he surprised her.

“Peter?” His mom called up the stairs as he was pulling on his comfiest pair of joggers.

“Yeah, mom?” He shouted back, unable to hear her answer. “Hold on, I’m coming right down!”

Walking into the kitchen where his mom was waiting, Peter smiled at her when he saw the container full of soup she had made for Lara Jean.

“Thanks, Mom. I’m sure Lara Jean will love it.” Mrs. Kavinsky nodded, getting up and giving her son a kiss on the cheek.

“I just wanted to let you know that Dr. Covey isn’t home, but he knows you’re coming over. He’s really grateful that you’re going to check in on Lara Jean, because he couldn’t get the day off work again.”

Peter nodded, not really listening in his eagerness to go see LJ. He was right about to walk out the door when his mom grabbed his arm, and Peter had to bite back a groan. Why was his mom so interested in this?

“You know, Peter, I trust you. And I trust Lara Jean. Dan’s a little nervous about leaving her alone tonight, so if you wanted to stay… We wouldn’t be opposed.” She left it at that, looking at her son expectantly.

Peter gulped. Was his mom seriously allowing him to spend the night with Lara Jean? Who was this woman and what did she do to Molly Kavinsky?

“Mom, really, it’s okay. I mean, I appreciate it, but it’s okay. I’ll text you when I’m on my way back,” Peter said, feeling uncomfortable with the whole situation. Mrs. Kavinsky only nodded, not wanting to delay her son any further, knowing he may change his mind once he saw the state his girlfriend was in.

Peter drove quickly over to Lara Jean’s house, pondering what had gotten into his mother. She was never this interested in his love life. Trying to look past the night's weirdness, he put a smile on his face before walking up to Lara Jean’s door and knocking. He was practically bouncing on his feet with his excitement to see her. Some shuffling could be heard on the other side of the door before it swung open, revealing a rosy-cheeked Lara Jean with a big, fluffy blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

Peter took in her appearance with a sinking feeling in his gut. She looked the epitome of sick. Her hair was down, long and disheveled as if she had been sleeping on it and then forgot to brush it out. She was ghostly pale, save for her cheeks and nose which were rosy red. She had deep purple circles under her watery eyes, and she was shaking slightly with shivers. Her eyebrows were furrowed just slightly, as if she had a headache. Whatever she had was definitely not “just a cold” as she tried to convince him.

“Peter?” She croaked, swallowing hard against the pain in her throat. All he could do was nod, too shaken up by her state to say much else. “Come in,” she encouraged, pulling him inside. “It’s f-freezing outs-side.”

Peter quickly snapped out of his trance, closing the door behind him and setting the soup down in her kitchen as she made her way back to the couch. The area surrounding the couch looked as if she hadn’t left it for days—there were empty tea mugs, bags of cough drops, tissues, orange juice glasses, soup bowls, medicine, and more scattered periodically around; it was everywhere. It became painfully clear to Peter just how sick his girlfriend was.

As Lara Jean settled back down on the couch with a sigh of relief, Peter sat down next to her, placing a large hand on her burning forehead. She shivered at his touch.

“You didn’t tell me you were this sick, LJ,” Peter accused her worriedly. Lara Jean didn’t like that she put that look on his face—it was exactly what she didn’t want.

“I didn’t want to bother you. ‘M okay, really. I look worse than I feel.” She leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

They both knew she was lying. She shivered again, trying to wrap herself tighter in her blanket subtly so Peter wouldn’t see. He did, of course.

“We both know that’s not true. Come on, we promised to always tell each other the truth,” Peter guilt tripped her.

She opened her eyes, running a hand through her hair self consciously. She could only imagine how horrible she looked right now. Sniffling, she massaged her sinuses in hopes of relieving some of the pressure before speaking.

“I’m sorry,” she started, her voice cracking. She could feel the tears forming from both frustration and sickness, but there was no trying to stop them once they started, so she simply allowed them to fall.

“I just feel so sick, but I didn’t want to complain to you because you’re always so strong and I figured you would think I’m pathetic for not being able to handle a little cold. Plus, you had your game tonight and you needed to focus… I went to the doctor’s yesterday and he prescribed me some meds for the ear infection and fever, but they haven’t came in yet and there was just _no way_ I could go to your game; I can barely stand up and my balance is all off because of my ears, and I can’t sleep because my ears are pounding and they hurt so badly and God, I just want to make it stop,” she rambled on, angrily wiping away tears as Peter stared at her with love and affection, despite her outburst.

He wrapped her in his warm embrace, kissing her boiling forehead as she trembled in his hold.

“I love you, my strong, beautiful girl. I’m here now. I just wish you would have told me sooner; I would have been here in a heartbeat.”

“I didn’t want to get you sick,” she squeaked, still pressed to his chest.

“I don’t care about that. Only you.”

They were quiet for a few moments, Peter rubbing LJ’s back soothingly. After what could have been hours or seconds, he wasn’t entirely sure, he pulled away just slightly, murmuring in her ear, “I brought some soup. Do you want me to bring you some?” She nodded, albeit reluctant to let him leave her.

Eventually, he managed to wriggle out of her grasp, and she laid down again on the couch, pulling the blanket up to her chin and closing her eyes in an effort to get comfortable. She couldn’t turn her head for risk of bumping her ears, but her nose got so congested when she laid on her back. She wanted to cry out in agony. She was just glad Peter was here. If she were being honest, she was a little nervous about her dad leaving her alone in this state. The fact that she had someone to take care of her made her feel a tiny bit better, if only a little.

Deciding she didn’t want to be away from Peter, she bundled herself up in her blanket and trekked out to the kitchen on shaky legs.

“Woah woah woah! What are you doing up?” Peter exclaimed, leading her to a chair. “I was coming right back,” he said gently, rubbing her shoulders as he heated up the soup on the stove.

Lara Jean just shrugged her shoulders, leaning into his touch. She had missed him. So, so much. She wasn’t letting him out of her sight any time soon.

Setting a steaming bowl of soup in front of his girlfriend, Peter sat down next to her, asking, “So where’s Kitty?” He asked, trying to pull the attention away from her miserable state.

Lara Jean took a bite of the soup, closing her eyes in pleasure as it soothed her throat, and responded, “At a friend’s. Didn’t want my germs,” she let out a small laugh, which turned into a cough.

Peter quickly got her a glass of water, which she gratefully drank. It was mostly quiet as Lara Jean ate her soup, complimenting Peter’s cooking although he admitted his mom had made it for her, which made her laugh again. After she finished, she looked up at him with big, watery eyes and it was then that Peter realized, anything she wanted, he would do it. Without a second thought. Anything to make her smile and get rid of the sadness in her eyes.

“Carry me?” She whispered, feeling like a child again but not caring. She held her arms out to him like a warm, cuddly panda bear and Peter could not resist even if he wanted to. He scooped her up bridal-style, and she buried her face in his chest.

“Will you bring me to my room? I’m so tired,” she said, proving her statement with a yawn. She was already drifting off, feeling for the first time in days content and comfortable enough to sleep.

As Peter set her down on her bed, tucking the blankets tight around her and getting a cold compress for her fever, Lara knew she was the luckiest girl in the world. She loved Peter Kavinsky beyond imagination.

“I love you so much,” she mumbled as he got in the bed with her, spooning her from behind. She moved impossibly closer to him, craving his touch. Her ears seemed to cease their relentless pounding as she focused on the feel of Peter next to her, forgetting every ache and pain as he caressed her and whispered sweet nothings in her ear.

Just as sleep threatened to take a hold of her, she grabbed Peter’s hand and whispered desperately, “Don’t leave me.” She thought she might actually fall apart if he did.

“Never,” he promised, sealing the deal with a kiss to her cheek, and Lara Jean gave in to the darkness, trusting that when she woke, Peter would be there.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this story as much I enjoyed writing it! Let me know what you thought of it down in the comments section or if you’d like more of these two in the future!


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